Liam Neeson to Voice Raccoon in…Wait for It…THE NUT JOB

This year will go down in history not only for the amount of attention that an animated raccoon is getting, but for the fact that there is more than one such voice-acting spot available. While we’re still waiting for news on who will voice Rocket Raccoon in Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, we have word today that perennial badass Liam Neeson (Taken) will bring a villainous raccoon to life in The Nut Job. The feature-length film is based on director Peter Lepeniotis’ short film Surly Squirrel and is planned for release later this year. Hit the jump for more.

Heat Vision reports that Neeson will lend his voice to a raccoon villain in Lepeniotis’ The Nut Job. Here’s what the director had to say about the casting:

“Having the distinguished Liam Neeson lend his talents as the raccoon villain is the perfect finishing touch. His contribution fulfills that dramatic need in our comedy adventure. It’s an honor working with him.”

The rest of the voice cast includes Katherine Heigl (Grey’s Anatomy), Will Arnett (Arrested Development) and Brendan Fraser (The Mummy) in “an action-packed comedy set in the late 1950s in fictional Oakton [that] follows the travails of the mischievous squirrel Surly and his rat pal Buddy as they plan a nut store heist that gets out of hand.”